December 6, 2012

Portland man indicted in brutal motel slaying

Lebon Bruno is charged with murder and gross sexual assault in the death of Elizabeth Williams.

By Scott Dolan sdolan@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

ALFRED – A homeless man from Portland accused of raping and beating a woman, and leaving her nearly lifeless body in a bathtub in a Saco motel room has been indicted on charges of murder and gross sexual assault.

click image to enlarge

Lebon Bruno, center, appears in court on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012.

Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Staff Photographer

Lebon Bruno, 39, was arrested in Lewsiston on Nov. 17, two weeks after the housekeeping staff at the Sunrise Motel found Elizabeth Williams, 55, of Portland, unconscious, bloodied and bruised.

Williams died a day later on Nov. 4 at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Bruno was not required to enter a plea at his initial appearance in York County Superior Court on Nov. 19 and has been held in custody since. Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese and Bruno's attorney, Clifford Strike, declined to argue bail at that time.

The York County District Attorney's office released the most recent list of grand jury indictment returns for the county Thursday.

Strike said his client will now likely appear in court before his next scheduled date of Feb. 15.

"They'll probably bring him in early for an arraignment," Strike said. Bruno could not formally be arraigned on the charge until he was indicted, he said.

Strike declined to say much more than he had said previously at Bruno's initial court appearance.

Strike said he has learned more about the case, has visited the scene at the Saco hotel where Williams was fatally injured and spoken to Bruno. But Strike declined to specify what he learned.

Authorities have said in the past that Bruno was a suspect from the start, that the motel room where Williams was found was rented to Bruno and that "red-brown staining" on Bruno's body and clothes contained DNA matching her blood and his.

Marchese, the lead prosecutor in the case, did not immediately return a phone call Thursday seeking comment.

 

Staff Writer Scott Dolan can be contacted at: 791-6304 or at

sdolan@mainetoday.com

 

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